Hera
"Giving you answers would make those answers invalid, that is the way of the Fates. You must forge your own 'path for it to mean anything. Already, you three have surprised me. I would not have thought it possible ..."' '''Hera '''is the Greek goddess of familial love, marriage, motherhood, and women. She is the elder sister and wife ofZeus, therefore making her Queen of Olympus. She is one of the daughters of Rhea and Kronos. Her Roman counterpart is '''Juno'. Hera is portrayed by Erica Cerra in the film version of The Lightning Thief. History Birth and Rescue Hera was the youngest daughter and third child of Kronos, the Titan King of Mount Othrys, and his sister-wife Rhea, born after her sisters Hestia, and Demeter. Since she was their most beautiful daughter, Rhea had hoped that Hera would not get swallowed. However, since Hera was a goddess (a member of a more beautiful and powerful race of immortals than the Titans), Kronos, fearing that Hera would one day overpower him, quickly proceeded to swallow her whole as well. Hera, thus, spent her childhood undigested in her father's stomach along with her sisters, and two younger brothers (Hades, and Poseidon), who were swallowed shortly thereafter. As a result, Kronos became known as "The Cannibal King." Rhea pleaded with Kronos to spare their children but with no success, since even Kronos' great love for Rhea was not enough to overpower his selfish and evil nature. However, Rhea soon gave birth to her final child,Zeus, who she secretly raised on Crete, far away from Mount Othrys. After growing up, Zeus successfully infiltrated Kronos' Palace on Mount Othrys as the Titan King's royal cup bearer. Hera was finally released during the final drinking competition that Kronos had with his Titanic brothers and nephews. Zeus poured an extremely powerful emetic (made from nectar mixed with mustard) into Kronos' goblet, which caused the Titan King to disgorge all of the contents of his stomach, in reverse order of swallowing: first the boulder, then Poseidon, followed by Hades, Hera, Demeter, and Hestia. All of them had been growing undigested in Kronos' stomach, being gods. Zeus quickly introduced himself to his elder siblings, and all of them (including Hera) promptly escaped Mount Othrys, before their Titanic uncles and cousins came to their senses. In Zeus' Cave, at the base of Mount Ida, Hera happily reunited with her beloved mother Rhea, who tearfully embraced her. Shortly thereafter, Hera and the other gods accepted Zeus as their leader, and reached a unanimous consensus on declaring war against their tyrannical father. However, since the Titans were well-armed, and the gods still had no weapons, Hera agreed to help Zeus release their Elder Cyclopes and Hekatonkheire uncles from Tartarus first. Rescuing the Elder Cyclopes and Hekatonkheires Hera's brother Hades was very skilled in navigating under the earth, was able to lead them all into Tartarus (through a network of Underworld tunnels). There, imprisoned in the maximum-security zone, surrounded by huge bronze walls, and a lava moat, guarded fierce demons, were the Elder Cyclopes and Hekatonkheires. Their guardian,Kampê, was the most ferocious and fearsome monster in all of Tartarus, and even Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades initially shuddered with horror when they saw the infernal monster for the first time. However, the gods overcame their fear, and were able to sneak in. Zeus managed to talk to the Cyclopes Brontes, and convinced him to forge powerful weapons for him and his siblings behind Kampê's back. The three Elder Cyclopes forged three incredibly powerful weapons: the Master Bolt (for Zeus), the Trident (for Poseidon), and the Helm of Darkness (for Hades). With these new weapons, Zeus killed Kampê, and Poseidon shattered the chains of the Elder Cyclopes and Hekatonkheires, releasing them. Afterwards, Hades safely guided his siblings and uncles back out of Tartarus. In return, for their release, all six of Hera's uncles agreed to fight on her side in the upcoming war with the Titans. The First Titanomachy Shortly after their return from Tartarus, Hera and her siblings officially declared war on Kronos and the other Titans, which resulted in the terrifying 11-year-long Titanomachy. The Elder Cyclopes soon forged a mighty golden Lotus staff for Hera, which she bravely wielded in battle against the Titans. The Titans initially had the upper hand, since they were much more experienced warriors. However, as the years of the War passed, the gods quickly became skilled warriors as well, and with the help of their new extremely powerful weapons, as well as the aid of the Elder Cyclopes and Hekatonkheires, the gods finally prevailed. While preparing for the final battle of the War, Hera and her siblings ascended to Mount Olympus (the tallest mountain in Greece after Mount Orthys). During the final battle, Zeus used his Master Bolt to shear off the top of Mount Othrys, and hurl Kronos from his Black Throne, defeating the Titan King. Shortly thereafter, the gods invaded the ruins of Mount Orthys, and finally overwhelmed Atlas, Hyperion, Iapetus, Krios, and Koios. In the aftermath of the battle, the Elder Cylopes chained up all of the defeated Titans, while theHekatonkheires forced them to kneel before Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. Zeus took his father's Scythe, and sliced Kronos into a thousand pieces, before casting him into Tartarus, along with the rest of his followers (except for General Atlas, who was forced to hold the Sky). Becoming an Olympian Goddess The gods chose Mount Olympus as their official residence, and the Elder Cyclopes build magnificent palaces there for them all. As a result, the gods started to call themselves the Olympians. Shortly thereafter, Hera's brothers Zeus, Poseidon and Hades divided world between themselves: Hades received the Underworld, Poseidon seized the seas and oceans, and Zeus claimed the heavens as his domain, and became the King of Mount Olympus, and the Olympian gods. As for Hera herself, she became the goddess of marriage, motherhood, and familial love. Living with Oceanus and Tethys Hera was a beautiful Olympian goddess, and was desired by many gods and Titans. However, Hera also had a fierce and infamous temper, and would arrogantly rebuke anyone who ever tried to woo her. As a result, her mother Rhea decided to send Hera to Oceanus and Tethys, where she might learn to tame her temper and act mature. Hera spent a number of happy years with them, away from Mount Olympus. After seeing how stable and loving Oceanus and Tethys' marriage was, Hera decided to strive for a similar one for herself. Overall though, while Hera did manage to tame her infamous temper by the time of her return, many gods were still wary of openly flirting with her, since she was determined to find a perfect husband for herself. Marriage to Zeus Soon after her return, Hera caught the attention of Zeus himself. Both very beautiful and intelligent, it was only natural that he would be attracted to her, but while Hera had strong feelings for him as well, she refused to be another conquest for the King of the Gods. Zeus, however, was just as stubborn, and would not be dissuaded. He applied his excellent singing, dancing, and joking skills to entertain and woo Hera, but she would not initially give in. Zeus made a bet with Hera that if she would ever confess her love for him, she would become his bride. A few days later, Zeus proceeded to generate a tremendous thunderstorm around Olympus, and cunningly disguised himself as an injured cuckoo. The cuckoo flew into Hera's chambers, just as she was shutting her windows, and proceeded to fall on the marble floor. The sympathetic goddess took what she thought was a defenseless creature in her arms, dried its feathers, and revived it with some divine nectar. On the next morning, the cuckoo did not seem inclined to leave, and affectionately rubbed its beak against Hera's finger. Hera admitted having grown quite fond of the bird herself, and gently cuddled it in her arms. At that very instant, the cuckoo transformed into mighty Zeus himself, still in Hera's embrace. Although she was embarrassed and outraged by her brother's deception, Hera was very impressed at Zeus' cleverness and resourcefulness nonetheless. She finally agreed to become his consort on the condition that he married her, and remained loyal to her. Their wedding (which was described as the most magnificent and grandiose wedding in history) was held in a spectacular celebration on Mount Olympus, and was attended by many gods and neutral Titans. Zeus and Hera arrived on a huge golden chariot, steered by Eos (who illuminated the bride and bridegroom with brilliant rosy light), and the ceremony was lead by the three Fates themselves. Through her marriage to Zeus, Hera became the Queen of Mount Olympus and the Olympian gods. Zeus and Hera received great gifts from all of their wedding guests, but Hera's favorite was a magnificent apple tree (with golden apples) that she received from Gaea. Hera had the tree taken far off to the west, and planted in a beautiful orchard. Hera employed the Hesperides, daughters of Atlas, to guard the tree, but as the nymphs would occasionally pluck an apple from the tree themselves, she put a fierce one hundred headed dragon named Ladon there as well. This orchard was later named the Garden of the Hesperides. The newlyweds enjoyed a wonderful honeymoon, and were both very happy with each other for 300 years, and had four divine children: Ares (the God of War), Enyo (the goddess of war and twin sister of Ares), Hebe(the Goddess of Youth), Eileithyia (the Goddess of Childbirth), and Hephaestus (the God of Fire and Blacksmiths). However, Zeus eventually became restless, and it was not long before he began the first of his many affairs. Hera was infuriated and frustrated to no end by his infidelity, and devoted most of her time to keeping Zeus in sight, as well as making the lives of his mistresses and illegitimate children miserable. Her hatred is most evident in the story of Hercules, whom she tried to kill repetitively. However, after Hercules was deified, Hera made peace with him, and became his mother-in-law through his marriage to her daughter Hebe. Hera's Rivalry with Hephaestus Hera's final son by Zeus was Hephaestus, the god of fire and blacksmiths. However, when Hera saw the unsightly appearance of her son, she threw him from Olympus, crippling him forever. Hephaestus landed in the sea, when he was found and raised by Thetis, a kindly Nereid. However, Hera's act of cruelty haunted Hephaestus, and he sought revenge. After spending nine years under the sea with Thetis, Hephaestus finally rode back to Mount Olympus on the back of a donkey. As he rode into the Olympian Throne Room, all of the gods (especially Hera) were shocked into silence. With him, Hephaestus had brought magnificent new thrones for all of the Olympians. Hera's throne was made from shining pure adamantine, making it particularly beautiful. An very impressed Hera quickly seated herself in it, and instantly, she was tightly bound by invisible and unbreakable chains. The chains grasped Hera so tightly, that she could not breathe, and all of the divine ichor in her veins flowed to her arms and legs. Both Ares and Hermes tried to convince Hephaestus to release his mother, but the latter remained stubborn and inexorable. Finally, his half-brother Dionysus (the god of wine), decided to take matters into his own hands. Dionysus began visiting Hephaestus' forge from time to time, and peacefully chatting with him. The two gods quickly became friends, and a week later, Dionysus introduced Hephaestus to wine, and finally convinced the intoxicated god to forgive Hera, and took him back to Mount Olympus on the back of a donkey. There, Hephaestus declared his forgiveness of Hera's act of cruelty, and releases her. Afterwards, Hephaestus and Hera made peace with each other. Olympian Riot, and Hera's Punishment Hera, enraged at her husband's infidelity, decided to start the first (and last) Olympian riot against Zeus. Hera managed to gain the support of Poseidon as well as Apollo, and Athena. That evening, Apollo, Poseidon, and Athena hid themselves in the hall adjacent to Zeus' royal chambers, awaiting Hera's signal. As soon as Zeus had fallen asleep, all four of them quickly tightly bound the King of Olympus with unbreakable and tightening golden chains. Even chained up and completely immobilized, an infuriated Zeus looked very intimidating. Finally, Poseidon attempted to reason with his brother, and demanded that Zeus be a better ruler. Zeus refused, which prompted Hera to advocate leaving him chained up in his chambers until he agrees. Shortly thereafter, the four Olympians departed for the Throne Room for the first (and last) democratic meeting of the Olympian Council, which proved to be a very cumbersome task. Fortunately, the violently trashing and bellowing King of Olympus was found by the Nereid Thetis. After convincing Zeus to be merciful towards the rioting Olympians, Thetis managed to find the Hekatonkheire Briares by the sea shore. He was more than happy to save Zeus, recalling that he owes his own freedom from Tartarus and Kampê to him. Briares quickly unchained Zeus, after which the latter seized his Master Bolt, and barged into the Throne Room, violently ending the meeting. Zeus remained true to his word, and was merciful towards the rioters, but he still punished them all accordingly. Hera received the most severe punishment of all: Zeus chained her right above the terrifying Void of Chaos. Every day, Zeus would visit her, and threaten to severe the chains with his Master Bolt, and watch her tumble into the Void. Hephaestus could hear the wails of his mother all the way from Mount Olympus, which infuriated him, as he could not bear to hear her suffering such a harsh punishment. As a result, he finally set her free. Hera tearfully embraced him, and promised to never to call Hephaestus ugly ever again. The Trojan War When Eris, Protogenai of Strife, threw the Apple of Discord into the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, bearing the inscription “For the Fairest”, Hera was one of the candidates to claim it. Paris, the prince of Troy, was chosen to judge between the three most beautiful goddesses, Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. Hera offered Paris the choice to become master of all Asia and Europe. She lost, however, to Aphrodite, for the Goddess of Love had offered Paris the love of the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen. Enraged, Hera, along with Athena, sided with the Greeks in the Trojan War in revenge against Paris. Personality Hera seems to be a maternal goddess, which is most likely because of her being the Goddess of Women and Marriage, but she did not start out this way. According to Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Hera initially had such a fierce and infamous temper that her mother, Rhea, sent her to Oceanus and Tethys, who raised her for a number of happy years. As a result of this, Hera was able to tame and keep her temper under control. However, she could still be proud and extremely jealous when provoked, insulted, or shown unfaithfulness to. Even Zeus himself was afraid of his wife when she is furiously angry. Due to her being the Goddess of Marriage, she has great loathing for the mistresses and illegitimate children of Zeus, since they are all concrete evidence of her husband's infidelities. Therefore, she is often portrayed as mercilessly persecuting Zeus' mistresses and illegitimate children, and doing everything in her power to make their lives as miserable as possible. She seems to have an uncanny knack of discovering Zeus' numerous affairs, and had occasionally thwarted them and even tricked him into getting what she wanted. Though her anger should perhaps be more directed towards her husband, Hera is always more focused on avenging herself against his mistresses as well as the children that result from his affairs, though this may be because Zeus is more powerful than her. According to her son, Hephaestus, Hera only likes "perfect families", and her throwing him off Olympus has made him extremely bitter towards his mother. Hera could also easily turn against those whom she initially favoured, as seen by how she turned against and even cursed Annabeth for agreeing with Percy's assessment of her true nature with regards to family. Despite her numerous flaws, Hera does have somewhat of a decent and respectable side. For instance, as revealed in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, after Hephaestus saved her from being chained up over the Void of Chaos, Hera tearfully embraced him, and promised to never call him ugly ever again. She is used to perseverance since she is the Goddess of Marriage, and as such had always reconciled with Zeus despite his rampant infidelity. Hera also seems to be fully aware of the importance of her duties as Queen of the Olympian family, and was always one to look at the big picture. This is especially evident in The Battle of the Labyrinth, where she expressed sadness over the loss of faith and selfishness demonstrated by the minor gods, and encourages Percy's group to rise above the squabbling and chaos, and to keep believing. Another instance of her extreme dedication to her familial duties could be seen in The Lost Hero, where it was revealed that she actually defied her husband's will and devised a plan to unite Greek and Roman demigods. Such instances all testify to how seriously she took her familial duties, especially since her personal dislike of demigods in general was common knowledge, but she was able to release her personal feelings in order to save her family and thus the Western civilization. Hera also once admitted to Jason that she secretly envied the other gods their demigod children, claiming that they help them understand the mortal world better than she ever could. However, she will never have any demigod children of her own, because as the Goddess of Marriage, it was not in her nature to be faithless, which in turn meant that she does not, and never would, have any mortal heroes to do her bidding. It is this aspect of her that makes her so often bitter towards all demigods, but it is also this very aspect that allowed her to be merciful where the other gods cannot, as demonstrated by her favoring of the first Jason, a pure mortal who had no divine parent to guide him. In The Son of Neptune, she is far more patient with Percy than before, visiting in a dream, but only complaining when Percy tried to attack her and never showing any signs of anger. Appearance Hera is Kronos' and Rhea's most beautiful daughter: long liquorice-black hair, a face of regal and unapproachable beauty like that of a supermodel on a fashion runway, and large, soft brown eyes that one could get lost in. The other novels also depict her as incredibly beautiful, though there are some inconsistencies with the description provided by Percy Jackson's Greek Gods. The differences in Hera's physical description throughout the novels could be attributed to the fact that, as a goddess, she has the ability to assume any shape she desired, though it must be noted that she retains her extreme beauty and desirability no matter what physical manifestation she adopts. However, there is one consistency shared by all the novels: when provoked, Hera could look extremely intimidating, with her eyes "glazed with power" and her sneer "worse than an Empousa's." It was said that even Zeus himself is afraid of Hera and her temper when she is in this state. Abilities Due to her status as an Elder Olympian as well as being the Queen of the Gods, Hera is a supremely powerful goddess. While the full extent of her powers is unknown, Percy Jackson's Greek Gods describes her as being more powerful than her older sisters, Hestia and Demeter. * Battle Prowess: Hera was known to have been an eager and courageous participant in the First Olympian War, and presumably fought in other great battles between the gods and their enemies. * Aerokinesis: As the wife of Zeus, Hera could ride the clouds, as illustrated by Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, where she hovered over Thebes and later traveled to it on a golden cloud. * Geokinesis (limited): In Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Hera induced all "rooted lands" to deny sanctuary to Leto, and threatened to curse them forever if they disobeyed her. * Familial Magic: As the Goddess of Home and Family, all things related to domestic and familial relationships are under Hera's jurisdiction. In fact, Chiron confirmed in The Lost Hero that she was actually the "glue" that held the Olympian family together, and her absence could unravel the stability of Olympus, and even shake the foundations of the world itself. Her unique status as a domestic goddess also grants her the abilities of: ** Food-Conjuration: As shown in The Battle of the Labyrinth, Hera was able to conjure delicious food on a marble table. ** Restoration of Cleanliness and Order: As shown also in The Battle of the Labyrinth, Hera was able to make things clean and orderly like a mother - with just a flick of her finger, she made Annabeth's hair comb itself while all of the dirt and grime disappeared from her face. * Control of animals: Hera seemed to have a high level of control over animals, particularly the cow and the peacock, both of which are sacred to her. When Annabeth "offended" her, Hera retaliated by sending a herd of cows after her, causing her to be constantly careful about where she stepped since they left dung everywhere, despite her not seeing them. * Premonition: As shown in The Lost Hero, Hera possessed potent psychic powers, given that - even when imprisoned and being consistently drained of her energy - she was able to maintain communication with Jason through dreams and visions, and even once possessed Rachel to urge Piper to rescue her. * Matrimony: Though it was neither confirmed nor specifically demonstrated, Hera might have some special powers pertaining to marriage and matrimonial happiness, since she is the Goddess of Marriage. Romance As confirmed in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Hera - despite her flaws - was the epitome of a faithful wife. She truly and honestly believed that marriage was forever, for better or worse, which was exactly why Zeus' numerous infidelities drove her to such raging jealousy. Hera was also known to regain her virginity every year by a sacred bath so she could celebrate her hierogamy (sacred marriage) to Zeus, though she is a matron goddess. As one of the most beautiful goddesses onOlympus, she was often desired by others, though her faithfulness to Zeus is constant and unchangeable. Despite his many infidelities, Zeus also loved Hera dearly, and spectacularly punished anyone who dared to romance or flirt with her, such as King Ixion of Thessaly. Children * Ares * Argus * Eileithyia * Enyo * Hebe * Hephaestus Symbols Some of Hera's symbols are: * The peacock (bird) * The cow (animal) * Pomegranate (fruit) * Lotus staff (symbol) * Diadem Trivia * Hera's name is an anagram of her mother's name, Rhea. * Hera is the most beautiful Elder Olympian goddess, much like how her mother Rhea is the most beautiful Elder Titaness. * Hera is derived from "heros"'' which means "defender, protector" in Ancient Greek.'' * The month of the year is named after Hera's Roman counterpart (June) which is incidentally when many women choose to get married. * Juno was called Moneta, meaning "Warner" in Latin, which is most likely why she warned Camp Jupiter, . * In the series, Hera is known as the Goddess of Home and Family, but her oldest sister, Hestia, is the official Goddess of the Hearth and Home, so it could be theorized that they shared jurisdiction over domesticity. * As revealed in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, after the Titanomachy, Oceanus and Tethys raised Hera for years, and helped her tame her infamous temper. This is similar to her father Kronos, who like Hera, had a fierce temper. Unlike his daughter, however, Kronos tried taming it by marrying Rhea. * As revealed in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Zeus stayed completely loyal to Hera for 300 years after their wedding. * One of the few things that Zeus fears is Hera's ferocious rage. * In Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, after her unsuccessful Olympian riot, Hera is chained by Zeus right above the Void of Chaos. However, she is later rescued by her son Hephaestus. * Interestingly, while Chiron refers to Hera as the "glue" that holds the Olympians' family together, Hera herself refers to Percy as the "glue" that holds the Seven Heroes of Olympus together. * As of The Mark of Athena, Hera/Juno is the only major Olympian who has fled from Mount Olympus to escape the wrath of her incapacitated family. * In Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, through an unknown method, Hera conceived Hephaestus by herself. This may explain why Hephaestus was deformed at birth.